


Checkmate

by silurica



Series: Look to Love, Always [22]
Category: Fallen London | Echo Bazaar
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28316598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silurica/pseuds/silurica
Summary: A year has passed since a certain difficult promise was made. Now, that promise is about to be broken.
Series: Look to Love, Always [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068755





	Checkmate

**Author's Note:**

> [Steadfast is dropping...]  
> [Magnanimous is increasing...]

The Feast of the Exceptional Rose comes to a close again this year, and once more, there he sits in the living room wearing a cat mask.

“So…” Chizuru begins while stirring his tea, “Are you here to end my life today?”

Leonard takes off his mask, his expression sour. Instead of answering, he wolves down the macarons and tea without regard to appearance. And he still looks at the host with contempt.

“Oh, do you like that? It’s from the new bakery down the street.” Chizuru asks, noticing how fast the macarons disappear from its plate.

“Shut up. You tick me off.” Leonard snaps.

“E-Eh…? Then should I have not brought out the tea? Should we have gotten straight to the point?”

“In the first place who on earth would serve refreshments to their would be murderer? Bloody airhead.” Leonard takes another sip of his tea and grumbles, “It’s unbelievable how dear father died to make someone like _you_ into the head of the family.”

“Ah, I know right. What a turn of event.” Chizuru places down his cup of tea, untouched.

“And you _dared_ to throw it all away and show your face to me.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You _disgust_ me. My dear father deserved better. I wish I could kill you.”

_He wished he could._ The meaning of those words pricks Chizuru’s heart.

“I knew I should’ve killed you the moment we first met again. I shouldn’t have let you loose. It’s always like this, you and your charm. People will run to side with you. Always, always, always…”

“You… should kill me anyway,” murmurs Chizuru.

“And get everyone suspicious and hate me?” Leonard hisses. “Just so you know, since I came to this city, I’ve rebuilt everything from scratch. I built my own rich, my own reputation, my own connections. _Everything_. Do you intend to steal my hard work away? Destroy it? Again? Just like what you did to my father and I back then? I hate you. I hate you so much. And I hate even more that I can’t touch you.”

“I don’t understand either,” says Chizuru weakly, casting his sight down. “I thought it was my value as the heir, then as the head of the family. But now I have nothing, there are still people who…”

Leonard stares at his cousin with a look of annoyance and contempt. “There is a limit to ignorance, did you know that? And you somehow—”

The verbal lashing Chizuru prepared himself for never came. When he looks at the young man again, the latter is staring at the door leading to the dining room.

Leonard stands from his seat. With light footsteps, he walks toward the door and opens it, revealing a scarred housemaid and a certain visitor from the surface. The three of them exchange looks.

“Chizuru-han!” The visitor suddenly shouts, “I told you to not give in to your cousin’s demands, didn’t I?! And we will find a way to keep you alive?! You are worthy, Chizuru-han! So don’t give in!”

Leonard frowns. “You have a noisy dog.”

“Who are you calling a dog?!”

“You heard him, Aleksei. Please quiet down…” says Chizuru from his seat.

Aleksei gasps. He looks as if he was about to say something, but instead he goes to seat himself right next to Chizuru, glaring at the other guest.

Leonard folds his arms, watching Aleksei go. He then asks the housemaid, “So do you have anything to say too?”

“Yeah, the master is lax and pays well. It’s hard to find employment as comfortable as this one, so I’d appreciate it if you let him live and keep paying me.” She answers, one hand resting on her hip. (“Is that how you view me, Vera? A bank?” mutters Chizuru.) Her sight diverted from Leonard, she adds, “But more importantly, mum would be disappointed if she heard of you killing a family member. Really disappointed.”

Leonard gives no reply as he observes the people in the room; the person he hates the most and the people drawn to him. He knew that already. How much he would pay for a fraction of that innate talent. He knew, that is why—

“A checkmate.” Chizuru tilts his head. “Is that what you are thinking now?”

With a click of his tongue, Leonard replies, “That’s right! Are you happy now? I can’t kill you. It’s my loss.”

A sad smile surfaces to Chizuru’s face. “I’m sorry, Leonard.”

“I don’t need _your_ pity,” hisses Leonard.

“That’s right, Chizuru-han!” injects Aleksei. “Be more—” He swings his fist in the air in place of words. Leonard scoffs.

A chuckle escapes from Chizuru’s mouth. “That is not needed now.” With that, he returns his attention to his cousin. “Perhaps it’s arrogant of me to say this, but I don’t wish for us to remain enemies. I’m too tired to keep up with you, too tired for another game of chess. So if you won’t kill me…”

“I won’t forgive you for what you did,” says Leonard. “Never.”

Chizuru only smiles.

Leonard takes his mask from the table and puts it back on. As he puts his hand on the door, he hears his cousin calls for him again, followed with: “Thank you, for giving me another chance.”

Something stirs inside him, something sickening. Leonard leaves without turning back even once. Laci and the Madam _better_ be happy for his decision.


End file.
